Turning the Book Wheel

The Great Sea Serpent. As depicted in the Natural History of...

Wed, 22 May 2013 10:01:17 -0400

The Great Sea Serpent. As depicted in the Natural History of Norway, so it must be real! Right?

Ok, maybe 1755 was a bit before peer review…

Good plan. Die entwicklung der modernen buchkunst in...

Tue, 21 May 2013 10:01:28 -0400

Good plan.

Die entwicklung der modernen buchkunst in Deutschland

(Yes, we know it’s German, but it’s still good advice)

TDIH RMS Lusitania sunk by German U-boat off the southern coast...

Fri, 17 May 2013 13:01:08 -0400

TDIH RMS Lusitania sunk by German U-boat off the southern coast of Ireland.

Cartoon by William Rogers, political cartoonist for the New York Herald, as found in the book America’s black and white book: one hundred pictured reasons why we are at war , c.1917.

1983 Festival of American Folklife: June 23-27, June 30-July 4...

Thu, 16 May 2013 10:00:51 -0400

1983 Festival of American Folklife: June 23-27, June 30-July 4 (1983)

Almost warm enough for a little sailing…

We took a little artistic license with this photograph. So what?...

Wed, 15 May 2013 09:30:19 -0400

We took a little artistic license with this photograph. So what? But with that expression on Patrick’s face, this corner doesn’t look too quiet…

From The Artistic Side of Photography in Theory and Practice

Carousel advertisements from the turn of the 20th Century. ...

Tue, 14 May 2013 17:01:26 -0400

Carousel advertisements from the turn of the 20th Century. Interestingly he Smithsonian carousel on the Mall is a Herschell. Want to know more about our carousel’s history? http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/aroundthemall/2009/08/oom-pah-pah-carousel-time/

Shoes, shoes, and more shoes! Gazette du bon ton, 1921, t.2

Wed, 08 May 2013 10:01:07 -0400

Shoes, shoes, and more shoes! Gazette du bon ton, 1921, t.2

It isn’t likely that the flower shop in Philly that...

Tue, 07 May 2013 09:30:44 -0400

It isn’t likely that the flower shop in Philly that currently stands at 34 South Third St. is honoring this 1877 ad for free samples of Sporting Life, but if you are in the neighborhood, can’t hurt to ask!

The Iconic Volute, drawn by the help of a shell. From a lovely...

Mon, 06 May 2013 17:01:11 -0400

The Iconic Volute, drawn by the help of a shell.

From a lovely little volume entitled Spirals in nature and art; a study of spiral formations based on the manuscripts of Leonardo da Vinci, with special reference to the architecture of the open staircase at Blois, in Touraine, now for the first time shown to be from his designs…

bookriot: The books in this teeny tiny library measure just...

Mon, 06 May 2013 12:06:16 -0400

bookriot:

The books in this teeny tiny library measure just 1-1.5 inches each! See more of the smallest books in the world.

tiny and meta!

“Little Library” (2009), by Todd Pattison. Photo from the Guild of Book Workers.

Happy International Workers Day!Now, get back to work.

Wed, 01 May 2013 13:01:04 -0400

Happy International Workers Day!
Now, get back to work.

The New “FUTURISTE” Shade Combinations for Spring...

Wed, 01 May 2013 10:00:57 -0400

The New “FUTURISTE” Shade Combinations for Spring 1913!

Courtesy of the National Silk Dyeing Co. of Paterson, NJ.

That very spring, one century ago, workers in the silk mills of Paterson, New Jersey – “Silk City,” with its 300 mills – were in the midst of a six month-long work stoppage in an effort to maintain decent working conditions, as skilled artisans were being priced out by new textile technologies, and forced to operate multiple looms. While the strike was ultimately unsuccessful, it was a model for organized labor, unifying disparate groups with varied interests, and was an interesting chapter in American labor history.

Happy May Day.

Happy Spring from the halls of the Digitization lab at the...

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 17:01:26 -0400

Happy Spring from the halls of the Digitization lab at the Smithsonian Libraries!

Nanook of the North, 1922; D Flaherty

“Her colouring is fair, the quality of her organization fine....

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 17:01:00 -0400

“Her colouring is fair, the quality of her organization fine. There is, if anything, more sensitiveness than endurance ; more activity than absolute strength ; more quickness and vivacity than actual staying power or real physical vigour. At the same time, she has considerable intensity and “go,” and is not likely to give in unless absolutely obliged.”

—Author R. Dimsdale Stocker, on the physiognomy of Ellen Beach Yaw, American soprano, in The human face as expressive of character & disposition (1900), recently digitized from the National Portrait Gallery branch of the Smithsonian Libraries.

Yes, intensity and “go,” for sure.

To conclude preservation week, a link to all the blog posts from...

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 12:30:22 -0400

To conclude preservation week, a link to all the blog posts from our book conservation lab about what they do to preserve Smithsonian Libraries collections, including simple paper repairs, mold remediation, paper washing and even dis-binding and re-binding.*

*don’t worry, we keep the old boards

What happens when a book gets “the full treatment”?...

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 10:01:00 -0400

What happens when a book gets “the full treatment”? Find out in this blog post by our conservator Katie Wagner.

Pictured above: a Kensol Hot Stamping machine in use in the Book Conservation Lab. It enables us to hand set lead type and creates visually pleasing labels for our rare books.

spx: Agro-reading. http://bit.ly/ZHYt2b Please (aggressively)...

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 11:04:47 -0400

spx:

Agro-reading. http://bit.ly/ZHYt2b

Please (aggressively) support your local library.

The piece of equipment we use most frequently in the Book...

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 00:00:55 -0400

The piece of equipment we use most frequently in the Book Conservation Lab? Our John Jaques board shear. It can cut a sheet of tissue paper or .98” thick binder’s board!

Anyone else out there a Book-binder and Taxidermist?

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 17:30:45 -0400

Anyone else out there a Book-binder and Taxidermist?

Wanted to dress up for Shakespeare’s Birthday but needed...

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 13:48:11 -0400

Desdemona and Othello

Iago

Cleopatra

Hamlet

Ophelia

Juliet

Romeo

Wanted to dress up for Shakespeare’s Birthday but needed costume help? Well, help has arrived for a mere two shillings (or fifty cents) from this 1892 publication with so very many suggestions (some entirely inappropriate for any occasion - this was published in 1892.)

illustrations from Masquerade and carnival: their customs and costumes by Mrs. Jennie Taylor Wandle